The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1887-05-28

Wr1CCe0 GOWN 1OT ulu udu Supp6u Out
of his memory, these orations were
amusingly absurd. They invariably
commenced with an illusion to Miriam
dancing before Moses, after the passage
of the Red Sea. ION which occasion, no
doubt, was first heard ''the piper who
played before Moses" familiarly named
in Irish colloquy,) and, passing down
through Homer and the classics, always
ended with a warm eulogy on the anti
guilty of the dance. -
In those days, the favorite exhibi-
tions were the jig, the reel, the horn
pipe, and the country dance. The last
named was considered dreadfully gen.
teel-too aristocratic, in fact, for the
multitude-and was learned and prac-
ticed las counting and kissing often are)
on the sly! The reel was countenanced
and no more. 1t was rather Scotch
than Irish. Every one was expected to
be able to go that laborious piece of
amusement called 1.-The Sailors Horn
pipe faint vestiges of which are tx.
tant, to this hour, in nautical scenes
as represented on the stage. Words
cannot describe the evolutions of this
remarkable dance, when exhibited with
all the scientific varieties of which it
was capable. The shuf1es, cross-shuf-
fles, jumps, hops, leaps, cuttings, slides,
and so on, which were introduced, I am
unable to describe. The manner in
which sheel- was employed
and varied, some ADLER historian may
RI cord.
That the hours passed away on swift
pinions at these dancing academies,
may well be imagined. There was any
quantity of Irritation at all times, and
about half the marriages in the country
owed their origin to these reunions.
1t is creditable to the proverbial good
conduct of my countrywomen, that loss
of character rarely, if eyer, resulted
from these free.and-easy meetings.
The real glory of the evening. how
ever, was when the dancing master.
after a world of solicitation, would
''take the flure," in order to give his adj
miring pupils a touch of his quality.
On such an occasion, the door of the
house would be lifted off it's hinges, and
placed in the centre of the floor. Aban-
doning the little kit "a small-sized vio-
lin) which was his companion at all
other exhibitions. he would allow blind
piper to discourse most excellent
music" and on the door, would COM
mence that wondrous display of agility,
known in my time as ''cover the buc-
kle;''-a name probably derived from
the circumstance that the dancing
master, while teaching, always wore
large buckles in his shoes, and by the
rapidity Of motion with which he would
make his ''many t inkling feet" per-
petually cross, which seem to ''cover''
the appendages in question. The great
effort was to exhibit all varieties of
steps and dances, without once quitting
tie PROSTATE door Oh which the exhibi-
tor took his stand. The jumps, the
''cuttings" in the air, the bends, the
dives, the wrigglings, the hops-these
were all critically regarded by his audi
ence, and sometimes rewarded with
such EXPLANATIONS as That's the way"
NOW for a double cut, '-''cover-the'
buckle, ye divil, ''-'Oh, then, tits he
that handles his feet nately." At the
conclusion, when he literally had danced
himself almost off his legs, he would
bow to the company, and-if he were
very much a favorite, or had eclipsed
all former displays-one of the prettiest
girls in the room would 20 round, plate
in hand, and make collection for him.
How the ten penny and five penny bits
would tumble in, Oh those occasions
particularly if The fair collector could
be induced to announce, with blush
and smile, that she would tax an ex
ira donation on the usual terms. which
meant that, for five shillings into the
plate, any gallant swain might brush
the dew from her own corral lips, on
that occasion only and 10y particular de-
sire. Can you doubt, for a moment,
that the likely ''boy'' who had been
sitting by her side all the evening, LAX
ing babies on her eyes las the saying isl,
and with his arm round her waist. just
to steady her in her seat, would jump
up and fling his crown-piece into the
treasury-though thepecuniary sacrifice
would probably involve his being
obliged to dispense, for a few weeks
more, with 1.-THE new Carline hat'' on
which his dandyism had set its mind,
for his Sunday adjoining!
It was difficult for ian outsider" to
become a spectator Of thepeculiar modes
of teaching adopted and practiced by
these masters. At small extra rate,
they would undertake to give instruc-
lions in that ''deportment," Of which
the late Mr.. Turveydrop WIS such an
illustrious exemplar. I never witnessed
anything of this sort, but have con-
versed on the subject with some who
.~Lok o@,,1<l loorv, ho